Eccleston CofE Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 31 March 2026

From early years onwards, pupils do not benefit from consistently high-quality teaching that helps them to learn. The recently established leadership team knows the school very well. Leaders have begun to take the right actions to bring about improvements for pupils. However, this work is at the earliest stages of development. Currently, staff do not have high enough expectations of what pupils can do and achieve. Pupils often struggle to focus on their learning because the curriculum is not well taught. The actions that staff take to help pupils focus on their learning are not fully effective. Pupils are increasingly supported to manage their behaviour. Leaders have high expectations of pupils' behaviour. However, staff do not implement these expectations consistently well. As a result, pupils' attitudes towards their learning vary in lessons. Pupils treat each other well at social times. Bullying is rare. If it happens, leaders take swift and decisive action to make sure that it stops. Leaders have established a caring school culture that helps every pupil know that they belong. Leaders quickly secure a deep knowledge of individual pupils and their families. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and those who face other challenges, receive additional support that helps with their wellbeing. However, staff do not address the barriers to learning that some pupils face sufficiently well. Pupils' attendance is high at the school. Pupils want to be here. They appreciate their unique school and feel part of a family. Pupils benefit from many opportunities to be leaders in their school. Some contribute through the ethos committee, while others work as buddies for younger children. Pupils take these roles seriously and make a tangible and positive difference to their school.

What the school should improve

• Leaders should make sure that there is a well-designed and delivered curriculum in place for all children in early years and across all subjects in key stages 1 and 2. They should ensure that staff have the knowledge and skills to teach the curriculum consistently well so that pupils learn consistently well.
• Leaders should ensure that staff have high expectations of what pupils should learn and be able to do from early years to Year 6. This is so that pupils achieve well in all subjects.
• Leaders should make sure that staff in early years consistently use their interactions with pupils to deepen children's language.
• Leaders should make sure that staff consistently apply the behaviour policy so that pupils focus on their learning during lessons.
• Leaders should ensure that staff deliver the personal, social, health and economic education curriculum consistently well. This is so that pupils are fully prepared to take their place as citizens in modern Britain.
• Governors should continue to support and challenge leaders to so that leaders' actions lead to rapid improvement.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)